Co-op shoppers warned over big shake-up from next Tuesday – you need to be quick
MILLIONS of Co-op shoppers must prepare for a huge change set to hit certain customers soon.
The chain has warned some of it’s buyers that a massive shake-up could affect them from next Tuesday.
Co-op‘s loyalty scheme will no longer allow shoppers to earn cash rewards.
This means loyalty members with any cash left on their rewards balance must use it before the money expires on Tuesday, December 31.
Martin Lewis‘ MoneySavingExpert explained: “The supermarket giant’s loyalty scheme, which has 5million members, used to let you earn 2p in rewards for every £1 spent on Co-op branded goods or services.
“These rewards could then be spent on future purchases at Co-op.”
The supermarket chain announced the huge shake-up earlier this year.
Loyalty members’ cash rewards have been replaced with Members Prices.
This new scheme, which started earlier this year, gives members discounts on their shopping.
Members Prices also gives people personalised offers based on what they buy.
It costs £1 to sign up to the scheme and customers also get access to two personalised offers every week.
Although it’s worth noting that independent co-operatives – such as Central England, Chelmsford Star, Southern and Midcounties co-ops – have their own separate schemes which aren’t affected by the shakeup.
Co-op loyalty scheme members can find out how much money they have left to spend.
Firstly, these shoppers can find the amount on a receipt from a shop.
Another method is checking the “wallet” section of the Co-op app or logging in to your online account.
CASHING IN
Shoppers who find they have cash rewards on their account have a few options.
People can scan their digital or physical membership cards at the tills.
Then they can ask a member of staff to redeem the cash reward or select the option at a self-checkout.
Customers looking to spend this money before the deadline must note that there are some exceptions to where these rewards can go.
The balance cannot be used on home delivery orders or when buying Co-op products via Deliveroo or other third-party platforms.
What is loyalty pricing?
You may have heard of loyalty pricing, but do you know what it is?
Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are three supermarkets that offer customers signed up to their loyalty schemes exclusive discounts – known as loyalty pricing.
All three retailer’s schemes, Nectar Card, Clubcard and More Card, are free to sign up to as well.
The obvious advantage to loyalty pricing is that you can save potentially hundreds of pounds a year on your shopping, all without spending a penny.
But different supermarkets offer exclusive discounts on different products, so do some research before doing your shopping.
Either way, be wary of supermarkets artificially inflating prices to make it seem like you’re getting a better deal than you are.
A previous investigation by consumer group Which? found Sainsbury’s and Tesco have increased the price of everyday goods then slapped loyalty prices on them thinking customers wouldn’t notice.
Either way, it’s worth shopping around though.
Supermarkets change their prices all the time, sometimes multiple times daily, so it’s worth researching to ensure you’re getting the best price on an item.
You can use websites like Trolley to see how the major supermarket’s compare in terms of price on any number of goods.